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<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" article-type="review-article" dtd-version="1.2" xml:lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Журнал микробиологии, эпидемиологии и иммунобиологии</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn publication-format="print">0372-9311</issn><issn publication-format="electronic">2686-7613</issn><publisher><publisher-name xml:lang="en">Central Research Institute for Epidemiology</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">19131</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.36233/0372-9311-834</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="edn">HBCAJX</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>REVIEWS</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>ОБЗОРЫ</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Review Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title xml:lang="en">The possibilities of using HIV-1 molecular cluster analysis to study the epidemic process of HIV infection</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Возможности применения анализа молекулярных кластеров ВИЧ-1 для изучения эпидемического процесса ВИЧ-инфекции</trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4228-9044</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Akimkin</surname><given-names>Vasily G.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Акимкин</surname><given-names>Василий Геннадьевич</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="RU">Russian Federation</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Dr. Sci. (Med.), Professor, Full Member of RAS, Director</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>д-р мед. наук, профессор, академик РАН, директор</p></bio><email>crie@pcr.ru</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7116-0138</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Kirichenko</surname><given-names>Alina A.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Кириченко</surname><given-names>Алина Алексеевна</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="RU">Russian Federation</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Cand. Sci. (Med.), senior researcher, HIV diagnostic and molecular epidemiology laboratory</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>канд. мед. наук, с. н. с. лаб. диагностики и молекулярной эпидемиологии ВИЧ-инфекции</p></bio><email>kirichenko@cmd.su</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7896-2379</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Kireev</surname><given-names>Dmitry E.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Киреев</surname><given-names>Дмитрий Евгеньевич</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="RU">Russian Federation</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Dr. Sci. (Med.), Head, HIV diagnostic and molecular epidemiology laboratory</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>д-р мед. наук, зав. лаб. диагностики и молекулярной эпидемиологии ВИЧ-инфекции</p></bio><email>dmitkireev@yandex.ru</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff-alternatives id="aff1"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">Central Research Institute of Epidemiology</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">ФБУН «Центральный научно-исследовательский институт эпидемиологии» Роспотребнадзора</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><pub-date date-type="pub" iso-8601-date="2026-05-13" publication-format="electronic"><day>13</day><month>05</month><year>2026</year></pub-date><volume>103</volume><issue>2</issue><issue-title xml:lang="en"/><issue-title xml:lang="ru"/><fpage>161</fpage><lpage>170</lpage><history><date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2026-05-11"><day>11</day><month>05</month><year>2026</year></date><date date-type="accepted" iso-8601-date="2026-05-11"><day>11</day><month>05</month><year>2026</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement xml:lang="en">Copyright ©; 2026, Akimkin V.G., Kirichenko A.A., Kireev D.E.</copyright-statement><copyright-statement xml:lang="ru">Copyright ©; 2026, Акимкин В.Г., Кириченко А.А., Киреев Д.Е.</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2026</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">Akimkin V.G., Kirichenko A.A., Kireev D.E.</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Акимкин В.Г., Кириченко А.А., Киреев Д.Е.</copyright-holder><ali:free_to_read xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/"/><license><ali:license_ref xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</ali:license_ref></license></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://microbiol.crie.ru/jour/article/view/19131">https://microbiol.crie.ru/jour/article/view/19131</self-uri><abstract xml:lang="en"><p>Surveillance of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection has a number of limitations related to the long-term asymptomatic course of the disease, a high level of stigmatization of HIV-infected individuals, as well as the difficulty of collecting information on the mechanisms of HIV-1 transmission. In these conditions, genomic surveillance is becoming important, which allows for obtaining objective data on the structure and dynamics of the epidemic process. One of the main tools of genomic surveillance is the analysis of HIV-1 molecular clusters. This review presents the possibilities of using the analysis of HIV-1 molecular clusters to study the features of the epidemic process of HIV infection, as well as describes the methodological and ethical aspects of using this method in the system of surveillance of HIV infection.</p></abstract><trans-abstract xml:lang="ru"><p>Проведение эпидемиологического надзора за инфекцией, вызванной вирусом иммунодефицита человека 1-го типа (ВИЧ-1), имеет ряд ограничений, связанных с длительным бессимптомным течением заболевания, высоким уровнем стигматизации ВИЧ-инфицированных лиц, а также со сложностью сбора информации о механизмах передачи ВИЧ-1. В этих условиях важное значение приобретает геномный эпидемиологический надзор, позволяющий получать объективные данные о структуре и динамике эпидемического процесса. Одним из основных инструментов геномного эпидемиологического надзора является анализ молекулярных кластеров ВИЧ-1. В настоящем обзоре представлены возможности применения анализа молекулярных кластеров ВИЧ-1 для изучения особенностей эпидемического процесса ВИЧ-инфекции, а также описаны методологические и этические аспекты использования данного метода в системе эпидемиологического надзора за ВИЧ-инфекцией.</p></trans-abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>HIV-1</kwd><kwd>genomic surveillance</kwd><kwd>transmission clusters</kwd><kwd>molecular clusters</kwd><kwd>sequencing</kwd><kwd>epidemic process</kwd></kwd-group><kwd-group xml:lang="ru"><kwd>ВИЧ-1</kwd><kwd>геномный эпидемиологический надзор</kwd><kwd>кластеры передачи</kwd><kwd>молекулярные кластеры</kwd><kwd>секвенирование</kwd><kwd>эпидемический процесс</kwd></kwd-group><funding-group/></article-meta></front><body></body><back><ref-list><ref id="B1"><label>1.</label><citation-alternatives><mixed-citation xml:lang="en">Akimkin V.G., Semenenko T.A., Khafizov K.F., et al. Genomic surveillance strategy. Problems and perspectives. 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